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AndroidOperating system · Google

CVE-2021-25481

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-10-06
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
69/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
An improper error handling in Exynos CP booting driver prior to SMR Oct-2021 Release 1 allows local attackers to bypass a Secure Memory Protector of Exynos CP Memory.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

A vulnerability in the Exynos CP (modem) booting driver allows local attackers to bypass the Secure Memory Protector through improper error handling. The issue exists in Samsung's Exynos chipset firmware prior to the SMR Oct-2021 Release 1, enabling a local attacker to potentially access protected memory regions in the baseband subsystem.

MitigationApply the October 2021 SMR (Security Maintenance Release) or later firmware updates from Samsung for affected Exynos-based devices. Organizations should inventory affected devices and ensure enterprise mobility management systems push the latest security patches.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
AndroidOperating system
Affected:= 8.1= 9.0= 10.0= 11.0

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify Exynos chipset model
    Check device specifications or use command: 'getprop ro.hardware' or 'cat /proc/cpuinfo' to determine if the device uses an Exynos processor
    Affected if The device does not use an Exynos chipset (this vulnerability only affects Exynos-based devices)
  2. Check baseband/modem firmware version
    On the device, use 'getprop gsm.version.baseband' or check Settings > About Phone > Baseband version to retrieve the CP (modem) firmware version
    Affected if The baseband version is earlier than the SMR Oct-2021 Release 1 (exact version numbers vary by device model; compare against Samsung's release documentation for your specific Exynos model)
  3. Verify October 2021 SMR applied
    Check Settings > About Phone > Software Information > Build number. The SMR release is typically indicated in the build (for example, SMR Oct-2021 releases contain 'SMR' in the version string). Alternatively, use 'getprop ro.build.version.sem' to check the SMR level
    Affected if The device build does not contain the October 2021 SMR or later, indicating the security patch has not been applied

A user is affected if their Exynos-based Android device (running 8.1, 9.0, 10.0, or 11.0) has a baseband/modem firmware version prior to the October 2021 SMR release, leaving the Secure Memory Protector bypass vulnerability unpatched in the modem subsystem.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the October 2021 SMR (Security Maintenance Release) or later firmware updates from Samsung for affected Exynos-based devices. Organizations should inventory affected devices and ensure enterprise mobility management systems push the latest security patches.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

SMR Oct-2021 Release 1 or later

  1. Check your Samsung device model and current Android/Security patch version
  2. Navigate to Settings > About Phone > Software Update on the device
  3. Ensure the device is connected to Wi-Fi and has sufficient battery
  4. Check for and install any available updates
  5. Verify the device has received the SMR (Samsung Maintenance Release) October 2021 or later security patch which contains the fix for CVE-2021-25481

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Android Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-25481 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data